An Evening in Atlas
by daccu65
Summary: When Weiss notices that Ruby and Jaune are looking at each other in a new light, she has four choices. She can ignore it, encourage it, inhibit it or...she can have a little fun with it.


_A/N: I do not own the characters appearing in this tale. They belong to Roosterteeth. I'm just borrowing them and will return them, promptly, when finished. This story was not written to generate profit...merely the joy of writing and sharing. Now that the legalities are finished, please feel free to enjoy..._

Weiss didn't exactly look back at her childhood with a great deal of fondness, but she had to admit that certain complications had done her some good. Her father had been domineering and authoritative, but he had also been manipulative. She didn't know if it was because he had tried to teach her subtlety or if he just didn't have it in him to order her to do certain things, but the result was that she was pretty good at picking up certain non-verbal cues from those around her. Okay, she had never had to deal with this particular cue before, but sometimes certain general experience worked for specific circumstances.

It was really inevitable; Blake and Yang had finally admitted their feelings for each other, but the intensely busy schedule that Team RWBY found itself living didn't give the two a great deal of time to explore these feelings. It was getting increasingly obvious that the two of them wanted some couple time and the evening was the only time they could find it. That was find by Weiss; the dormitory wing that they were living in had a comfortable common room, a place that her and Ruby could spend a couple of hours either studying, reading, watching the latest broadcasts or even playing some silly video games. However, she put her foot down about one issue.

"We're in our pajamas," she insisted.

"What? Why?" Ruby demanded.

"Because you have way too much energy," Weiss told her. "You've been trying to talk me into giving you a tour of Atlas, but there isn't enough time tonight. We can give Yang and Blake an hour or so of privacy, but you're not dragging me out of the academy. We wouldn't get back until the wee hours of the morning and we have missions tomorrow. I don't know where all of your energy comes from but not all of us have it! Some of us need some sleep. However, not even you are crazy enough to run around Atlas in your pajamas. We'll wear them for the common room, be comfortable and when Blake and Yang are done doing...whatever they decide to do...we can come back."

Ruby had complained about it, but she had given in. As much as the younger girl wanted to explore Atlas, she didn't want to explore it alone and she preferred Weiss to be her guide, rather than their friends in Team FNKI or even the associates they had in the Ace Ops. In the end, she wasn't about to mess with her sister's relationship. She could give Yang and Blake a bit of privacy and not use it as an excuse to drag her partner out for a hectic run around the city...where Weiss was sure to draw a crowd and turn any excursion into a grueling ordeal of reporters and innuendo. So the two of them grabbed their scrolls, some snacks and made their way to the dorm wing's common room. The two settled into some comfortable couches, Weiss called up an article on her scroll while Ruby tuned the large screen to a video game. It was a companionable peace, that didn't last very long.

"Excuse us, do you mind if we join you?"

Weiss looked up to see Jaune and Oscar, also pajama clad.

"Hey guys," she greeted them. "C'mon in. What brings you out from your dorm?"

She moved from her couch to sit next to Ruby and make room for the boys. The younger girl, who had earphones in, was jolted into alertness by the movement. For a moment, her eyes flew wide and a faint blush showed on her face. Puzzled, Weiss watched her out of the corner of her eye as the boys took the couch she had just vacated. A certain suspicion began to form in her mind.

"Well," Jaune rubbed the back of his head a little nervously. "We were planning on an early night but Nora...Ren...well..."

"Couple time?" Weiss asked him.

"Yes," the tall, blonde boy appeared relieved to hear the fairly bland term. "How about you guys?"

"Pretty much the same," Weiss shrugged, noting that Ruby seemed to be having trouble keeping her full attention on her game. "Blake and Yang wanted some time to themselves."

"Okay, our situation came up suddenly," Jaune told her. "Which explains why we're wearing pajamas at the moment. How about the two of you?"

"Suddenly?" Weiss prompted him. It hat been obvious since Mistral that Ren and Nora were an item.

"Nora suddenly had some...ideas," Jaune was noticeably uncomfortable again, while Oscar was now blushing furiously. "She didn't so much ask us to leave as we decided it was a good idea...and as fast as we could."

"Well, we had a little more warning," Weiss told him. "But I didn't want _someone_ getting the idea to go out and see the city at this time of night."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Ruby protested.

"So you are," Weiss chided her partner. "Since that's the case, why don't you interact with the rest of us?"

"Interact, as in playing video games?" Ruby asked. Yet, Weiss noted that she kept eyeing Jaune.

"Sure," the tall blonde agreed. Soon, the two team leaders had selected a game. Oscar watched, getting an idea for the rules before joining in while Weiss took the opportunity to observe Ruby.

She knew why Ruby was eyeing Jaune; the uniform pajamas that they had been issued were rather form-flattering and Jaune had developed a nice form to flatter. Even before the fall of Beacon, the strenuous lifestyle he led was filling out his frame and now, after his adventures across Anima, he had clearly matured from a wiry boy and into a fit, young man.

It explained the sudden excess of casseroles that Team JNPR had to snack on.

It was more than that, Weiss knew. Back in Mistral, Ren had pointed out that they had all grown. Ruby was no longer the completely compulsive girl she had been, she herself had found a great deal of her arrogance rinsed away. Much like Ruby, Yang was less impulsive and more understanding while Blake had come out of her shell; at least around those that she knew. As for Jaune; while he had gotten stronger he was no longer the naive boy blustering for attention. The tall blonde was quieter, more prone to listen than he had been before. Weiss found him much more pleasant to be around, even before he saved her life in Haven Academy. Now, she found the interplay between Ruby and Jaune to be interesting.

She stifled a large smile before it could show up on her face; another skill that growing up in the Schnee Mansion had instilled in her. It's not that she didn't want people to see that she was happy, but she didn't want to ruin the entertainment that the two team leaders could be providing her; especially since Jaune seemed to be having as much trouble keeping his attention on the game as Ruby was.

That was easy enough to understand. Most men were attracted to signs of fertility, such as a fit, healthy body and a feminine figure. Well, Ruby had all of that. Being a huntress she was, of course, incredibly fit. Genetics had given her a more curvy figure than Weiss', despite being a couple of years younger and the pajamas she was wearing made her physical fitness just as apparent as Jaune's.

As much as she presented herself as being no-nonsense and professional, Weiss had to admit that she had a weakness for cute things. Zwei had charmed her within moments and Adrian's pout had left her almost incapable of functioning. However, it wasn't just cute things that she had a weak spot for; cute concepts could also leave her giddy. She was ashamed to admit that her actions had made the start of Ruby's first day at Beacon into a horrible experience. Yet, it was Jaune's hand that reached out and gave her a lift when she needed it. It was Ruby's support that helped Jaune get through his bullying problem. The two had always backed each other up, so what concept could be cuter than two, mutually supporting people realizing that the other one was hot and available?

Of course, the real question was how much entertainment it would provide, especially if the two of them didn't have a clue what to do with their new discoveries?

She decided to give them a little more time to get comfortable with the situation. Instead of interrupting, she asked Oscar about his life on a farm on Anima, which was about as far from life in the Schnee Mansion as one could get. She was genuinely interested, hearing about how he would be up and working before the sun came up, how his aunt made sure he was fed well, and how he read at every opportunity, studying to get into some form of higher education.

While Weiss knew that formal training was the best way to prepare for a life as a hunter, it seemed that working on a farm wasn't a bad one. Oscar was strong for his size and had a great deal of stamina, even though he was a long way from growing into his man's body. Still, the primary entertainment this evening was going to be Ruby and Jaune. By the time Oscar was done talking, the two team leaders had started talking a little smack to each other, wagering laps and push-ups over the next round. Weiss decided to make things a little more interesting.

"I think it's time for a little competition," she declared. "But it isn't going to be video games."

"What do you have in mind?" Ruby was immediately suspicious.

"Have you ever heard of the game, 'Huntsmans' Trivia?" She asked, setting a spare scroll on the low table between the couches.

"Sure," Jaune told her. "It's quizzes about the huntsman's life."

"Quizzes?" Ruby demanded. "As in school?"

"A huntress has to understand history and the laws of handling weapons," Weiss reminded her. "As well as the strengths and weaknesses of all known grimm. It tests your knowledge." The blonde girl activated an app.

"I thought this was supposed to be a fun evening," Ruby grumbled.

"Try it for a little," Weiss encouraged her. "We can go back to playing video games if you don't like it."

Ruby wasn't exactly convinced, but she didn't want to start a fight. Jaune seemed a little more enthusiastic, but not much. Oscar, the youngest and a bit of an outsider, seemed determined to not upset anyone. Moments later, Weiss' spare scroll projected an image of an an ursa major under the question "where do you hit it?". Everyone quickly pointed their scrolls at vulnerable points on the creature's image.

"This isn't so bad," Ruby admitted. Of course, the fact that she won might have had something to do with her tolerance. However, that open-mindedness vanished when the next question popped up.

"Which kingdoms allow students to carry weapons in public?" It asked. Ruby and Jaune grumbled, while Oscar looked lost. The app only allowed a few seconds to answer and, not surprisingly, Weiss was the only one who got it right.

"Lots of fun," Jaune grumbled, and Ruby nodded. Weiss concealed a grin, this is what she was trying for.

"Okay," she paused the app. "It seems that the two of you didn't pay attention in classes, and Oscar never had the chance to attend an academy. Why don't we make this a little more fair? Jaune, swap places with me."

Bemused, the tall boy did as requested, setting next to Ruby while Weiss sat next to Oscar. "We'll play doubles," Weiss declared, manipulating some controls on her scroll. "The two of you have attended classes, so theoretically, you know the material. Oscar hasn't had the benefit of a year of Beacon classes so me and him, going against the two of you, might be fair."

"I'm thinking Ren was wrong when he said you had become kinder," Ruby murmured. Jaune snickered his agreement while Weiss fumed and activated the app again.

"_You are protecting civilians,_" the scroll announced. "And are attacked by an Ursa major and four common beowolves._ Which do you target first?_"

All correctly identified the beowolves, as the quicker grimm would be more likely to get to the civilians. However, Ruby's speed semblance meant that she was able to answer first.

"Okay, this is kind of fun," Ruby smiled at her teammate, who was momentarily her opponent.

"_Which kingdom first passed anti-faunus discrimination legislation?_" Was the next question. Ruby and Jaune put their heads together while Weiss remembered Dr. Oobleck's class and correctly answered Vale.

"And the two of you come from that kingdom," she chided the two team leaders.

"Bring it on!" Ruby snarled back. "We can beat you when it's huntress questions being asked." Jaune and Oscar looked a little nervous about being caught up in the competition but Weiss hid a smile, noting that when Ruby settled back onto the couch, she was actually leaning against Jaune. .

"Fine," the form heiress huffed. "But maybe it's time to put some wagering behind this and make it interesting."

"Wagering?" The other three asked.

"The two of you were betting laps against push-ups," she reminded the team leaders. "Why don't we do the same here? We can test our knowledge, two against two. We'll bet against each other...push-ups, laps, maybe even take on each other's missions."

"So if we win, someone else might take my crossing guard job?" Jaune asked. "I'm sick of casseroles and I'm getting tired of people looking at me like a piece of meat."

"Well, do well enough and I might wind up taking a shift as a crossing guard, while you and Ruby take a long, boring ride out to the mine and fight grimm."

Jaune and Ruby looked at each other for a moment, then looked away with a blush. Weiss didn't need to read minds, the two were thinking of the long, long trip out and back, with each other. Neither one seemed to mind.

"_Gotcha!_" Weiss thought.

"You're on," Ruby declared. "The first question is for twenty push-ups."

"Agreed," Weiss retorted, smirked, and activated the scroll again.

"_Which are the only two kingdoms that do not have anti-faunus discrimination legislation?_" The scroll asked them.

Weiss knew that Vacuo was one of the kingdoms, as it had very few laws. However, she was sure that the other three had such laws. She knew for a fact that Atlas did and Vale was the first to pass such a law. That left Mistral but as widespread as the animosity was within the kingdom, she was sure that they had passed laws. Jaune and Ruby had their heads together, obviously arguing the same thing. To Weiss' shock, Oscar leaned close to her.

"Menagerie?" He asked. "An island nation of faunus wouldn't need laws that prevent discrimination against faunus."

"Of course..." she gasped, thumbing the control on her scroll...

Too late! Ruby and Jaune had figured it out and the speedster got the answer keyed before she could.

"That's twenty push-ups...each!" Ruby taunted her. "You sure you want to keep this up, or is it time to give up?"

"You don't have a chance," Weiss retorted. "You're out of your depth, and you know it."

"Fine," Ruby chuckled. "You're already down twenty push-ups. What say the next one is for five laps?"

"You're on," Weiss smiled back, while Oscar looked decidedly uneasy.

"What costs more," the app now asked. _"Eight ounces of hard light dust or fourteen ounces of gravity dust?"_

"What kind of..." Ruby began to protest, only to glare at Weiss, as she answered correctly.

"That isn't a huntress' question," Ruby complained.

"There's economics to being a huntress," Weiss countered. "We won't always be supported by the Atlas Military and that means making wise choices in how we spend our lien."

Ruby and Jaune ground their teeth, but the perceived injustice seemed to draw them together.

"_At what size does a nevermore gain the ability to shoot feathers as projectiles?_" The screen asked, and displayed four possible answers.

Ruby and Jaune knew the answer, but took the fatal delay of checking with each other. Weiss knew that Oscar wouldn't know, and thus answered without consulting her teammate. Another win, but Jaune and Ruby were fully into competitive mode.

"We'll get you yet!" Jaune insisted, while Ruby nodded her agreement. Weiss allowed a little of her first-year-Beacon-student arrogance to show in her disdainful harrumph.

It was on. They were faced with questions about grimm anatomy and battle tactics, inter-kingdom law and finances. They were faced with questions about ethics and crime, courtesies, etiquette and responsibilities. There were questions on tactics, both against individual grimm, groups of grimm and bandits. Surprisingly, Jaune and Ruby more than held their own on these questions, but Weiss' greater formal education, bolstered by Oscar's country boy common sense, dominated the rest. Still, Jaune and Ruby refused to admit defeat.

Weiss couldn't help but smile; with every right answer, the two dorks would exchange fist-bumps or pats on each others arms. With every loss, they would either pat each others backs or offer each other a quick rub and squeeze to the shoulder or neck. It was clear that the two of them were getting more comfortable with each other. Finally, they had to call a short break to visit the bathrooms and replenish their snacks and drinks.

"Are you ready to admit defeat yet?" Weiss taunted them, when they returned. "Or do you want some more humiliation before we call it a night?

"Humiliation?" Ruby snorted. "I'd say we're pushing you to your limits."

"The fact that you're down one-hundred eighty push-ups and fifteen laps would suggest otherwise," Weiss countered, with a mocking grin.

"It's only a matter of time," Jaune argued, still on his feet while Ruby took her seat. The boy offered a dramatic gesture, hands high in the air. "We will overcome, we will face adversity and defeat it...we'll get a couple more questions right." The last statement was with a small voice, clearly for comic effect. Weiss responded with polite laughter, but was soon even happier.

He did it! He did the incredibly cheesy move! When he sat down, he put his arms along the back of the couch! Ruby even slid closer to him when he sat! The clever dork had put his arm around her! The competition began again and it was just too adorable! As they continued the game, Ruby slid closer to him until she was resting against his chest. Neither of them seemed to realize just how they were sitting! They looked like a couple who had been dating for a couple of months, were comfortable with each other and didn't mind who saw them.

Well, sometimes a realization could be an eye opener and Weiss decided to let the two of them have it.

"It's getting late," she declared. "Yang and Blake wanted a couple of hours to themselves, and we've given that and more to them. I think it's about time to finish this game...but I have a proposition for the two of you."

"What do you have in mind?" Ruby asked, clearly nervous of the calculating grin that Weiss just couldn't keep off of her face.

"Oscar and I are now up two hundred and forty push-ups and eighteen laps," she pointed out. Now, those eighteen laps won't be anything for you, but Jaune here doesn't have a speed semblance to help him. Both of you are going to put in some serious work on those push-ups tomorrow. Don't you want and alternative to this, a chance to get out of it?"

"I don't like the way this is going," Jaune said to Ruby. The speedster just nodded to him. "Let's get it over with," Jaune finally decided. "What's your idea."

"We stake it all on the next question," Weiss told him. "If the two of you win, your entire debt is gone. On the other hand, if we win..." she left it hanging, dramatically. The way the two of them looked at each other, still not grasping the significance of his arm around her, was delicious.

"We owe double?" Ruby asked.

"That would be a bad bet on your part," Weiss admitted, her tone dripping with false sympathy. "On the other hand, what about something else?"

"I have to take your next run out to the mine?" Jaune asked.

"That's tempting," Weiss feigned interest in the offer. "But I want something still more interesting. If Oscar and I win the next question, the two of you have to kiss each other, right here, right now."

The two's eyes flew wide, then they looked at each other. It was at this moment that they seemed to realize that his arm was around her shoulders and that she was leaning comfortably against his chest. Trying to be discrete, but as obvious as a giant nevermore in a clear sky, the two edged away from each other.

"I don't mean a couple of pecks on the cheek," Weiss pressed on. "And I don't mean a quick, let's get this over with smack. I want the two of you to act like a couple of young lovers who have been reunited after weeks apart."

"Weiss!" Ruby whined. "I've never...kissed a boy...before." The girl was blushing so bright that Weiss swore she could turn off the lights and they would all still be able to see.

"So?" She asked her partner. "It's going to happen some time, isn't it? Besides, when we first got our huntress licenses, you wondered if you would be able to go under cover. What if you were to have the cover identity as a someone's girlfriend?"

"And you!" She now addressed Jaune, who was blushing almost as bright as Ruby. "Tell me the truth, will it be that bad to kiss Ruby? Will it feel bad to wrap your arms around her waist, feel her fingers in your hair, her mouth on yours?"

She thought that Jaune was blushing before, he was blushing even worse, now.

"Two hundred and forty push-ups," she continued, now addressing both of them. "Eighteen laps. That's on top of the intense workouts we're already doing. Take this bet and you won't have to do them, even if you lose. If you lose, it's just going to be a few seconds of kissing someone who has become...desirable."

"I...well...it's..." both were stammering, blushing furiously and steadfastly refusing to make eye contact with the other.

"The offer's for a limited time," Weiss bore in. "It's getting late, so either make the last bet or sweat tomorrow."

"Fine, we take the bet!" Ruby yelled, still refusing to look and Jaune.

"Very well," Weiss almost purred. "Ready?"

Ruby and Jaune, as well as a bemused Oscar, nodded.

This one was a verbal question.

"You are facing a deathstalker," a mechanical voice addressed them from the scroll. "And are out of dust rounds. Your team is armed with weapons made of copper, bronze and iron. What available to you will be able to penetrate its arm..."

"Itself!" Jaune shouted. "Its own stinger!"

"Correct," the scroll announced.

Weiss watched, with a great deal of satisfaction, the looks of relief...and regret...that passed over her friends' faces.

"Well, I have to admit that this evening turned out a lot more interesting that I thought it would be," she announced to the room. Picking up the scroll, she got to her feet. "It's getting late, so I think I'm going to turn in. With her back to Ruby and Jaune, she gave Oscar a pointed look and deliberately let her gaze travel down the hall towards the rooms.

The boy took the hint, announced that he was tired and was about to see if Ren and Nora were finished with...whatever it was they were doing. With a bit of a theatrical yawn and stretch, he preceded Weiss down the hall. However, he wasn't as naive as she could have hoped; as soon as her turned down the side-hall towards Team JNPR's room, and Ruby and Jaune could no longer see him, he stopped and looked back at her. Undeterred, she stepped the other way, towards Team RWBY's room, then stopped and listened.

"Eavesdropping isn't nice," he whispered to her.

"But it can be entertaining," she informed him. "Especially when there's no harm to it."

Before he could say anything, Ruby seemed to have gotten over her shock.

"Well, that was a close one, wasn't it?" The speedster's voice, from back in the common room, stated.

"Yeah," Jaune's voice replied. "Who would have known that Weiss could make a wager...like that?"

"I guess she has more of her father in her than she likes to admit," Ruby pointed out.

Weiss glared, Oscar smirked at her, but both listened to the conversation that they shouldn't have been.

"I'm glad you didn't have to go through with it," Jaune told his companion.

"Yeah...wait!" Ruby answered him. "Just me? Didn't you want to avoid it, as well?"

There was a pause, during which Weiss smiled and could almost _feel_ Jaune gathering his courage to tell the truth.

"It isn't exactly a trial to kiss a pretty girl," the tall blonde finally pointed out. "I just didn't want you to have to deal with it."

"Wait!" Ruby sounded flustered. "Y-you think I'm pretty?"

"Of course," Jaune told her.

"Y-you mean that you would have liked to kiss me?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted.

"So why do you think that I wouldn't like kissing you?" There was a tone of demand in the brunette's voice.

"Well...I..." Weiss had to smile at Jaune's stammering. "Y-you mean that you would like to kiss me?"

There was another pause, in which Weiss could just about picture Ruby nodding...nervously. This was just too good.

"Well..." Jaune's voice had a touch of suggestion in it. Weiss waited a moment or two before acting.

"Ruby!" She shouted. Back in the common room, she heard a shuffling sound, like a pair of slipper-clad feet were scrambling away from each other.

"What!?" Ruby's voice sounded...delightfully irritated.

"Are you coming? We're all going to be mad at you if you show up after we're asleep, and you wake us up!"

"I...well...it's just...aaaarrrgh!"

Weiss couldn't keep the cruel smile from her face. Things were going to be a lot more interesting, starting tomorrow. Then, she saw Oscar's expression.

"Well, I just learned something important tonight," he whispered to her.

"Which is?" She whispered back.

"If I ever start to like someone; as in really liking them, never let a friend know about it."


End file.
